Alcohol is the formost medical and social problem among contemporary American Indian populations. The reasons for the disproportionately high rates of alcohol-related medical and legal problems in many Indian communities may have culture-specific antecedents. A major study of the status of alchohol recovery services in Indian communities (Alchohol Task Force, 1977) point to the disappointingly low rates of success of existing alcohol rehabilitation programs. Many reports deplore the cultural bias of existing programs and call for the integration of more traditional forms of healing practices in programs dealing with alcoholism. Unfortunately little has been documented about how traditional Indian healers deal with the abuse of alcohol in their communities even though Indian histories document the devastation of alcohol abuse among Indian peoples as early as the 17th century. Our aim is to explore selected primary and secondary sources regarding the use of indigenous American Indian healing practices which might be used in the treatment of alcoholism. We propose to investigate, and analyze curing techniques of native healers who are dealing specifically with the problem of alcohol in their communities in 4 major culture areas: Plains, Southwest, Eastern Oklahoma, and California. We anticipate that this study will provide data which can be used to develop more enlightened approaches to service delivery for the problem Indian drinker. Our findings could be used to provide more culturally relevant rehabilitation programs, more effective prevention and instructional programs in education institutions and increased use of existing Indian modes of alcoholism prevention and rehabilitation strategies to larger more generalized Indian populations in both urban and rural areas.